Hardwired (The Brotherhood Series) Read online

  “Where are we going?” Jen asked him after a while of silence.

  “I’m not sure yet; for now, I’m just trying to get us off the island.”

  “They probably know about your parent’s hunting cabin or I’d say we could go there,” she said, nonchalantly.

  “You know my parents?” He asked, his voice catching with surprise.

  “I knew your parents,” she replied softly.

  “Oh. When?”

  “It wasn’t long after you made it through Hell week.”

  “How long have you known me?”

  “We met at a truck stop about seven years ago.”

  “A truck stop?”

  “They had the best fried chicken,” she said with a small laugh.

  Luke felt a smile tug at his lips. He had no recollection of the meeting or the good fried chicken, but he was happy the memory still brought a smile to Jen’s face.

  “Daddy, why don’t you remember us?”

  Luke felt a sharp pain shoot through his head. He shook his head slightly, hoping to ward it off, before he answered.

  “I had an accident. I suffer from amnesia. I don’t remember anything before my accident.”

  “And the chip?” Jen added.

  “The hard drive was implanted into my back to maintain my central nervous system. Without it I would be a vegetable, or worse.”

  “You asked Dean if he knew; were you talking about us?” Jen asked.

  “Yes. I believe he knew, along with everyone else involved in my operations.”

  “You’ve been alive and serving in the Navy this whole time?”

  “Yes. You have to know I had no idea about you and Bella, though. Had I known, I would have come for you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Luke

  The hair prickled on the back of Luke’s neck as he eased the stolen car into a gas station off I-64. They had been driving all night, but before dawn broke, Luke needed to get them into another vehicle. Even though they didn’t engage Luke, for several miles outside of the Outer Banks, the team sent into infiltrate Jen’s home had followed them. It wasn’t like them to not successfully complete a mission. Luke itched to call Dean and see what was going on, but he couldn’t trust him.

  Luke turned and gently nudged Jen to wake her up. She woke up with a start, her wide eyes looking around. Luke watched as she came to and remembered why she was in the back of the car. Then her eyes locked on his, and a wave of emotions crashed through them.

  “We need to switch vehicles,” he whispered.

  “Okay.”

  Her eyes were still searching his, as if he would have all the answers for her.

  “After being at the beach house for several days, I knew there was something about you and Bella, something that called to me. My amnesia never really bothered me until then, until you. When I would look at you, I somehow knew that you were the keeper of my memories.”

  Soft tears welled in Jen’s eyes. Instead of saying anything, she simply leaned forward and cupped his cheek in her hand. At her touch, he felt the beginning of a migraine come on, but he’d never let her know. Feeling her satiny hand against his face made him feel like he was finally home.

  A movement a few feet away caught Luke’s attention. He held up a finger to Jen, signaling her to be quiet and still. Her hand fell away from his cheek, making him feel empty and cold once again. Luke didn’t turn but kept watch instead through his peripheral vision. The movement came again. Somehow his tail had managed to camouflage well enough that Luke hadn’t even seen him. He thought he had lost them all well over a hundred miles before.

  “Stay in here, no matter what. If I tell you to drive away, jump in this seat and drive like hell,” he whispered.

  Jen nodded, clutching a still sleeping Bella against her. Luke waited until the last possible second and then slammed opened his car door, flinging his leg out and into the soldier’s body. Air whooshed out of the man’s lungs as he took the hit. Luke didn’t give him a chance to recuperate before he lunged out of the vehicle and attacked the man.

  The man was bested easily, but Luke didn’t kill him. Instead he propped him up against the car for questioning.

  “Are you the only one left following me?”

  “Dean sent me.”

  Luke snarled at the mention of Dean’s name. The man wasn’t doing Luke any favors by sending some kid along to get his ass kicked.

  “Why did he send you? More importantly, why should I believe you?”

  “He told me to make sure no one else was able to follow you. He also said you would eventually need another vehicle. I was to give you mine and take this one in a different direction.”

  Luke growled. It was a damn good plan. Luke did need another vehicle, preferably one that wasn’t stolen, so he could fly under the radar for a while. Dean was offering him that chance. If it had been just Luke, he would have told the kid to go tell Dean to get bent, but with Jen and Bella’s lives at stake, Luke would have to accept the man’s help.

  “I’m going to search your car for a trace, and if I find one, you’re going to die a painfully slow death.”

  The young soldier nodded. Luke leaned back in the car to take his keys and tell Jen what he was doing. Then he grabbed the soldier by the collar and jerked him to his feet, motioning for the kid to show him where his car was. It was a black SUV that already had a booster seat installed for Bella. When Luke was finished with his appraisal, he was satisfied that it wasn’t bugged.

  Luke went back and got Jen and Bella to transfer them over to the new car.

  “I’m going to keep heading northwest, why don’t you go northeast for a while,” he said to the kid, as he tossed him the keys to the stolen ride.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Luke, could we use the restroom before we leave again?” Jen asked him, when he got inside their new ride.

  “Of course. I’m sorry, I’m not used to having anyone with me.”

  Luke felt like a jerk for not offering them that in the first place. He followed them inside, keeping watch to make sure Dean wasn’t the only person that had managed to follow Luke, but the coast seemed clear. Jen convinced Luke to load up on snacks before they hit the road again. She smiled when he picked up a Reese’s Cup and a Mountain Dew.

  “You always did like those things,” she commented once they were back in the SUV.

  Luke looked down at the candy in his hand. It was trivial but knowing that there was still a part of him from his past life gave him hope. There was also an underlying pang of sadness and fear because while Jen knew those things about him, he didn’t remember anything about her. As he drove, he tried to force the memories, hoping something would pop up now that he knew about them, but nothing did. All he managed to do was bring about a painful migraine.

  He looked in his rearview mirror as Jen and Bella slept. To people just passing by, they probably looked like any other family on the interstate. Luke wished it were true. Bella wiggled and stretched awake. She looked around sleepily, rubbing her eyes before they focused in on Luke’s in the rear-view mirror. He quickly diverted his gaze back to the road.

  “Mamma has missed you very much,” she said softly.

  Luke wasn’t sure how to respond. He missed what they could have had.

  “Sometimes when I lose my favorite stuffy, Mamma makes me go back to where I last remember having it to help me find it. Maybe that would help you. Do you remember us at all?”

  “I think that’s a really good idea, Bella. Maybe I can try that.”

  “Uh, Daddy?”

  “Yes?” Luke responded, hoping he didn’t sound as uncomfortable as he felt at being called that.

  “I have to go potty.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jen

  Once they finally stopped, Jen felt like she was still moving in a vehicle from all the time they had spent riding. She didn’t even know where they were, but she was too tired to care and thankful to have a minute of reprieve from
the road.

  “We’ll be safe here for a few days,” Luke said, opening her car door.

  The house was tucked deep inside of the woods. She had been asleep coming in, but from the looks of it, the house was the only one around for miles. The air wasn’t as thick with humidity as the beach air, but she still hadn’t a clue what state they were in. She took in the house as they unloaded their bags and walked up the long side walk. It was a two story blue home. The grass was grown up all around it, and it needed some repairs, but at one point, it had been a beautiful home.

  “Thank you,” Jen replied when Luke held the front door open, feeling silly for being so formal with a man she knew so intimately; or at least used to.

  Bella bounded into the house, full of energy. Jen smiled, glad that Bella seemed to still be functioning well considering all she had been through. She noticed Luke watching Bella, too. His eyes were committed, but soft.

  “You always had such sharp eyes, always looking and scanning everything around us; always the protector.”

  Jen hadn’t offered much to Luke during their car ride, unsure of what he wanted. He seemed thirsty for knowledge on himself and of her and Bella, but Jen wasn’t sure what it all meant. Considering the danger they were in, she couldn’t imagine she and Luke were on a path toward their happily ever after.

  “I can feel that I know you, that you mean something to me. Nothing from my past has ever resurfaced, but somehow, I found you. I want to know you and to know our history, but I don’t know if I ever will.”

  “If you’d like to know, I can tell you.”

  He looked down briefly. It had been his telltale sign that he was nervous. The thought made Jen’s heart lurch. She longed to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. To reconnect the bond that had been severed between them by death, but she could tell Luke wasn’t sure of what he wanted. He seemed scared.

  “It’s okay, Luke,” she said, reaching out to touch his hand, more for her own comfort than for his.

  “It’s not okay. I can’t believe I don’t remember you. I want to.”

  Jen felt as if he was going to say but and continue his thought, but he just fell silent.

  “Mamma, I’m hungry. Where am I going to sleep? Does this place have a pool?” Bella ran up to her firing off a billion questions in rapid succession.

  “We will get you something to eat. You will sleep with me, in a bedroom, and no it doesn’t have a pool.”

  “There may be food in the fridge, if not I can order pizza to get us through the night.”

  “That would be great.”

  Luke moved into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. Jen watched as Bella went back to jumping up and down on the couch. If they had been anywhere else, Jen would have scolded Bella, but considering Bella had been cooped up all day in the car, she’d let her burn her energy up anyway possible. Jen looked over to see Luke on a small black phone, more than likely ordering pizza.

  It was something completely natural between two adults who shared a life together. She and Luke hadn’t gotten to share their life together in its entirety though. That had been taken from them. Now they were practically strangers standing apart from each other in a strange home, having small awkward conversations with each other.

  “Mamma, is Daddy ordering pizza?”

  “Yes, baby, he is. How do you feel about everything that has happened? Are you okay? It’s a lot to find out that Daddy is alive.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m glad he’s alive, aren’t you?”

  “Well, of course I am; it’s just shocking is all.”

  “I love surprises though, they’re my favorite,” Bella responded with a shrug.

  Everything was so black and white to Bella. Jen wished that she could be more like her, especially in the current situation. She was, of course, overjoyed that Luke was alive, but they had a long road ahead of them, if they even had a journey left together at all.

  “Do you think Daddy knows that I like everything on my pizza?” Bella asked.

  “I bet Daddy knows that,” Jen responded, hoping that Luke still liked everything on his pizza as well.

  Once he was off the phone, he came over to them. The kitchen and living room were open together, and there was a staircase on the far side of the living room that Jen assumed led up to the bedrooms. She wondered why Luke had chosen the house.

  “Is this your home?”

  He looked startled by her question at first.

  “No, this is a safe house that was decommissioned three years ago.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “The pizza will be here shortly. I didn’t know what you guys liked, so I ordered three different ones: one with everything, one with just cheese, and one with pepperoni.”

  Bella jumped off the couch and wrapped her arms around Luke’s leg.

  “You did know that I liked everything on my pizza,” she exclaimed.

  Luke looked at Jen for guidance, but she just smiled at the exchange. Her smile was soon joined by tears. Seeing Bella’s arms wrapped around Luke was something Jen never dreamed she would ever witness. Luke’s eyes softened, and he pried Bella’s arms off his leg and bent down so that he was eye level with her.

  “Mamma’s surprised, that’s why she’s crying,” Bella explained to him.

  “I’m a little shocked, too.”

  “Do you like to swim? Mamma always tells me how much you like to swim, and that if you were around, you would have taught me how to swim by now. I want to learn.”

  “I would love to teach you how to swim.”

  “We need a house with a pool,” she said very matter-of-factly.

  Luke chuckled a little, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Luke stood up, and Bella went back to jumping on the couch.

  “I need to make sure the area is secure. I’ll be just outside.”

  Jen nodded. While Luke did that, Jen went upstairs to explore the rest of the house. Bella followed her. There were three bedrooms upstairs. One of which was completely stocked with kid’s toys. There was even a small trampoline. Bella was in heaven. She tore into the toys, making sure to stop and bounce on the trampoline every so often.

  Jen peaked into the other bedrooms, both of which were boring. She couldn’t help but wonder which room Luke usually slept in. How many times had he sought the house for refuge? Her mind swam with questions. Her heart couldn’t seem to focus on anything besides her love for him.

  She returned to Bella’s room which already looked like a hurricane had torn through it.

  “Everything’s secured,” Luke said, scaring Jen.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “I can’t decide if it’s a good thing or a very sad thing, that your safe house has a kid’s room.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, everyone I ever knew that came through this house, is alive and well.”

  “That does make me feel better and gives me a little hope.”

  “How old was Bella when I, um, died?”

  “She was three weeks old.”

  He nodded his head, not saying anything. They stayed in silence, watching Bella play and engaging with her when she asked, until the pizza man rang the doorbell. Luke told Jen to stay put until he came back, before he disappeared downstairs to get the pizza. A few minutes later, he came back and told them it was time to eat. Bella had worked up quite an appetite with all her playing; she devoured three pieces of pizza.

  Jen picked at her piece. Luke rolled his shoulders, a movement Jen noticed he did often. She thought back to the hard drive that protruded out of his back.

  “Mamma, may I please be excused to go back and play.”

  “Yes, of course, baby.”

  “She looks so much like you,” Luke said, once Bella was out of sight.

  “There’s a lot of you there, too.”

  “I think we both have our fair share of questions.”

  “I keep asking myself if they really matter. Part of me wan
ts to know every single thing you’ve done over the past five years, but another part of me just wants to know what’s going to happen next. Are you going to be free to be with us? Do you even want us anymore?”

  Luke didn’t immediately respond. Jen knew it was too much to want him to vow he would never leave them again. That was why she had to keep telling herself it didn’t matter. She loved Luke, the man she had known and shared a part of her life with, but the man in front of her was different. If he was going to leave again, Jen had to protect herself and Bella.

  “I think that’s fair. I can’t promise you anything, other than I will keep you safe.”

  “What happened to you, to get the hard drive in your back?”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Luke

  Luke told Jen his story. He sat on the chair, while she tucked her legs under herself on the couch across from him. A middle of the night assault, and a never ending car ride, the woman still looked beautiful. She listened to him quietly. He knew she wanted things he couldn’t promise her, and he hated himself for it. When he was done, she remained silent for a few minutes.

  “The chaplain came to our house two weeks after you left for what was supposed to be your last mission. He handed me a folded flag and your dog tags. My entire world collapsed. I missed you so much. I still do. They wouldn’t tell me what happened to you, just that you had been killed in the line of duty. You were a war hero. They wanted to have a ceremony and give me your medal, but I declined. Maybe that was wrong of me, but I was so angry, partly at you for leaving, and mostly at them for making you do one more mission. That anger faded a little as time went on, but I still get angry at you. Especially when I’d have to suffer through one of my mom’s horrible blind dates, or when Bella would ask me about you. Now you’re here, right in front of me. I want to be elated, but I’m still so fucking angry! You can’t be with us, and I’m going to have to break Bella’s heart. You’re going to break mine. I can’t help but see you and want all the things I can’t have.”